Last goodbye
by 101Gabriella101
Summary: A mission didn't go as expected, and leaves SG-1 forever changed. CHARACTER DEATH!


**Last goodbye**

Dammit, Daniel. Always trying to be a hero when I really don't want you to. That never ends well. You should know that by now, but then again, I suppose you did. Always doing 'the right thing'. And now look at you, dressed in your best clothes, lying in a coffin.

It's not that I blame him, it's just who he was. I liked that about him, the caring, the trusting. It made me open up again and get over Charlie's death. He was a great guy, thinking of others more than himself. Unfortunately, things didn't work out this time.

After arriving on P3X-598, it seemed we had landed on another deserted planet, so I let the two geeks play in the dirt for a bit. They soon discovered the planet wasn't all that much, so they were just going to collect some samples for the labs and then head back home. Teal'c and I stood guard, as usual. We patrolled the area, walking towards the edge of the clearing around the Gate to make sure there was nothing, or no one, lurking in the shadows between the trees.

Turns out there was.

Before we knew it, Teal'c and I were clubbed down by the natives. Damn, they were fast. I couldn't even get a good look at them. When I woke up again, the four of us were tied to a pole, with the natives dancing around us, yelling and screaming. After a while, Daniel managed to get them to bring the head of the tribe, and after a fierce discussion, they let us go. They even escorted us back to the Gate, although we had to be blindfolded. I should have known something was wrong then. First it looked like they were gonna use us for some weird ritual and then they just let us go? But no, I just thanked God for being on our side and kept walking. They then removed the blindfold and let me push the buttons that would get us back home. Unfortunately my 'escort' existed out of two huge muscle heads, effectively blocking my view of everything besides the DHD. But when the gate shut down behind us and I saw Hammonds worried face, I knew something wasn't right. I turned around and saw the problem.

Daniel wasn't there. I saw Carter and Teal'c remove their blindfolds, but there was no sign of Daniel. So that's why they'd just let us walk. Daniel had probably promised them to let them do whatever it was they wanted to do to him, if they let the rest of us go.

I immediately started yelling at everyone to open up the gate to go rescue Daniel, and ten minutes later we were running around on the alien planet again. The downside of the whole rescue operation was I had no idea where their camp/village-thingy was. So when we finally got there, it was already too late. Daniel had been killed as some sort of sacrifice. Of course, we overpowered the enemy and brought Daniel back home, but we had no way of bringing him back to life. No sarcophagus, and neither the Asgard nor the Tok'ra responded to our messages. Put differently, it was the end of SG-1 as we knew it.

And now I'm here, looking down at Daniel for one last time before they let him sink into the ground. They chose a good place to do it: a nice little hill with soft green grass and a willow just 20 feet away. One might expect dark clouds and a light drizzle to be more appropriate weather for a funeral, but the clear blue sky seems more fitting to Daniel's personality. When I look around, I see some people crying, but at least everyone is talking as well. He wouldn't have wanted people to just stand there and cry, but get on with their lives.

I take one last look at Daniel's now serene face, straighten out my back and give him a final salute. It reminds me of all those times I jokingly saluted him when he would tell me what to do, but this time it's for real. I really did respect him, after all. As I stare out at the beautiful scenery of waving grass before me, hand still in place against my forehead, I try hard not to let the tears gathering in my eyes fall down my face. .. but a single tear manages to escape, gently sliding down from the corner of my right eye, across my cheek. I squeeze my eyes shut in an attempt to keep the others at bay.

 _Farewell, old friend…_


End file.
